The service bays are even air-conditioned

“Location, location, location,” are Robert Kirland's first words when asked how the service department in his Autohaus Pompano Mercedes-Benz store in Florida has become so successful. Ranked 45th overall on the Ward's 500 and fifth in service revenue, the store has become a model for other Mercedes stores in the country.

Five years ago the dealership moved from Federal Highway to Interstate 95 and took over an abandoned Sam's Club in Pompano Beach.

“We went from 30 service bays to 60,” says Kirland. “And I never thought we were going to completely fill them. But when we moved, everything just exploded.”

Not only has the store filled those service bays, it's adding 25 more this year when it expands into a Circuit City building next door. Currently, the service department is located in a state of the art facility with 145,000 sq. ft.

“We're the only Mercedes store with all of our service bays air conditioned,” Kirland says.

The president of Mercedes-Benz in Germany recently visited the dealership and when he walked into the service department, he just stopped and was astounded at the size of the facility, laughs Kirland.

He also attributes success to the store's organizational structure. He was a banker for 17 years before becoming a car dealer and used that experience to implement the same type of reporting and operational procedures in the dealership.

“We pay attention to detail here. We delegate well and have well-trained people. We also pay them well so our staff is happy and gives 110%,” Kirland says.